It could be the result of an existential crisis or a recent obsession with Radiohead; maybe it’s the sign of a band’s coming-of-age with the desire to appeal to broader audiences; perhaps Young Rising Sons have simply been on the road too long. New Jersey’s freshest rockers made a major announcement today in a very non-traditional way. After a week of teasing their social media following with cryptograms, Young Rising Sons today announced the release date of their sophomore EP, The Kids Will Be Fine, on October 16th on Dirty Canvas/Interscope Records. The five-track EP will consist of songs “Coming Home,” Atwood favorite “F**ked Up,” “Flesh and Bone,” “Ghost of Me,” and “Somebody.”

Shot with a low-quality camcorder in the passenger seat of a dark car, “Coming Home” opens with a focus on the driver. A hooded figure wearing a clown mask, the driver turns to look at the camera while putting the car in gear. A somber piano entrance starts the moment the dehumanized driver has its masked face fully in the frame.

With the music, there also comes text on the screen. Large, white block letters read “COMING HOME,” but what would otherwise seem like a standard title quickly gains deeper value and meaning as more words follow. As the car gets in motion, the camera moves away from the driver and onto the dark, dimly lit road ahead; it will remain on this unexciting depiction of suburban travel for the bulk of the video.

This mundane visual subject matter is the perfect basis for a separate story told through text. With Andy Tongren’s smoothe, wistful voice singing wholeheartedly in the foreground and that dark road in the background, a message broken into a slow, steady stream of words takes center stage.

COMING HOME
YOUR IDOLS LIVE
BEHIND A SCREENINSIDE A FANTASY WORLD
THEY ARE
LIARS
THIEVES
& CHEATERS
THEY ARE LOST
AND CONFUSED

Ominous, dark and foreboding, this text lights up the screen with a message of caution. Interpretations can and will vary; are Young Rising Sons addressing their own homecoming experiences post-tour, or are they offering up a cautionary tale for others? Are there any specific idols the band wish to denigrate?

A similarly foreshadowing story unfolds in the song’s lyrics:

I wasted most of my life looking over my shoulderAnd all I’ve become is a runaway boyI met a medicine man who said he could save meBut my soul’s too scarred to ever be saved

I’m coming home to you

The concept of “home” is so often cast as a shelter or refuge. To “come home” is to be safe and sound; to be in a familiar place; to be comfortable. Andy Tongren approaches “home” as a place to pause and take a breath from the madness of the outside world, but “Coming Home” is deeper than that: What happens when home is no longer that safe haven? When things become foreign? When you no longer recognize the person in you driver’s seat? “Home” ceases to be itself, per its definition.

The realization that nothing ever stays the same – or rather, that everything changes – can be unsettling to those with strong physical or temporal attachments. When paranoia sets in, your world feels like a parallel universe. Suddenly, “coming home” seems to hold little merit; the ones you love, the things you love, the places you love – they become strangers.

What do we do after we’ve realized one of life’s greater, scary “truths”? According to Young Rising Sons, relish in the knowledge:

LET THE TRUTH
SET
YOU
FREE
AND YOU’LL BE
JUST FINE

These final words flash onscreen before the end of the music video depicts the clown mask being thrown to the car’s floor. Off goes the Band-Aid – and with it, the fright?

I’m not totally convinced that this is an especially comforting notion. It promotes independence, but it is also heavily inclined toward skepticism, cynicism and suspicion. A mild fascination with the occult often results in strong music, and “Coming Home” is barely borderline (if at all) occult. It does, however, make perfect sense that a band who spent the majority of the past eighteen months on the road would pen a song questioning the significance and existence of the fabled “home;” how better to deal with a sense of unsettlement, than to embrace it?

Don’t let us make that decision for you, though. “Coming Home” is purposefully vague; it is meant to spark deeper thinking, creative consideration and intelligent conversation; it is open for individual interpretation. Read the song’s full text and watch the music video to form your own opinion on Young Rising Sons’ “Coming Home.”

:: “Coming Home” music video text ::

COMING HOME / YOUR IDOLS LIVE / BEHIND A SCREEN / INSIDE A FANTASY WORLD / THEY ARE / LIARS / THIEVES / & CHEATERS / THEY ARE LOST / AND CONFUSED / THEY ARE TINY / FLOATING BUBBLES / IN AN INTANGIBLE LAND / A LAND OF MAKE BELIEVE / WHAT IS REAL? / AND WHAT IS FAKE? / WHO ARE THE WOLVES? / & WHO ARE THE MARTYRS? / YOU’LL NEVER KNOW / THE MAN / BEHIND THE MASK / YOU’LL NEVER KNOW / THE GIRL UNDER THE SHEETS / LET THE TRUTH / SET / YOU / FREE / AND YOU’LL BE / JUST FINE

Mitch is the Editor-in-Chief of Atwood Magazine and a 2014 graduate from Tufts University, where he pursued his passions of music and psychology. He currently works at Universal Music Group in New York City. In his off hours, Mitch may be found songwriting, wandering about one of New York's many neighborhoods, or writing an article on your next favorite artist for Atwood. Mitch's words of wisdom to fellow musicians and music lovers are thus: Keep your eyes open and never stop exploring. No matter where you go, what you do or who you are with, you can always learn something new and inspire something amazing.
Say hi here: mitch[at]atwoodmagazine[dot]com

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